Sony, Microsoft challenge Nintendo in Tokyo
Publishers, developers unite at the Tokyo Game Show before holidays.
Published Oct. 9, 2009
Sony, Microsoft and many big-name third-party game developers traveled to the ancestral home of the gaming industry for a once-a-year conference Sept. 24 to 27. The Tokyo Game Show, first organized by the Entertainment Software Association in 1999, has become one of the last big hurrahs for gaming before the holiday season.
It's where publishers and developers get a chance to showcase all the upcoming games and technologies consumers are going to see in the holiday season and in the next year.
This year was no different.
Of major note were Microsoft and Sony's bids on the motion-control gaming market, which so far has been entirely dominated by Nintendo's Wii. Sony demonstrated some planned applications of their motion controller in development to games already out ("LittleBigPlanet" and "Resident Evil"), but also showed the potential for what their controller can do is significantly greater than what the Wii Remote has given gamers so far. They also revealed an updated, sleeker design for the controller, first seen at E3.
Microsoft, on the other hand, is challenging the Wii with something altogether different: completely controller-free gaming. Their "Project Natal" offers the ability to interact in games using only the body and voice, through motion tracking and speech recognition software.
Although this has many core gamers leery, game developers are clearly excited. In a news release at the show, Microsoft announced a list of first- and third-party developers already making games supporting the technology that covered about 70 percent of all games sold for the Xbox 360, said Kudo Tsunoda, Microsoft Game Studios' creative director.
Nintendo's response to all this was somewhat quiet, but significant. Although the company historically hasn't attended TGS, it did issue a news release just before the show, announcing a price drop on the Wii to just under the $200 mark.
This might seem like a white flag to some, but it's actually a good marketing move on Nintendo's part. With the Wii still in high demand, and the new Wii MotionPlus attachment available, consumers buying the Wii and "Wii Sports Resort" will wind up spending as much as they would have on the Wii alone before the price drop.
But don't think motion control was all that went on at TGS. Many games were shown off, from expected hits like "Assassin's Creed II," to long-range teasers for promising titles like "The Last Guardian," much of the convention seemed to be one trailer release after another.
Here's a rundown of three of the most exciting games from TGS:
"Dante's Inferno" (PS3, PSP, 360): This interactive re-telling of "The Divine Comedy" has been accused of being "God of War" with a new coat of paint, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. With a playable demo of the second Circle of Hell (Lust) at TGS, this game is likely to be one of the more controversial games of the year. It's slated for release February 2010.
"Assassin's Creed II" (PS3, 360, PC): The developers truly seem to have heard the criticism of their first installment and are making good on it. The second installment addresses the lack of mission variety in the original and takes the series into Renaissance-era Italy and giving players many ways to complete the missions. Be sure to check this game out in November.
"The Last Guardian" (PS3): If you remember "Shadow of the Colossus," you should already be excited for this game. Made by the same team (Team ICO), featuring a boy traveling with what can only be described as a giant dog/bird hybrid and visuals that outdo most CGI movies, this game will have a lot of hype to live up to. Keep an eye open for more from this game as it get closer to release in December 2010.